Shanza Hameed and Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Khan
Covid-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), and every pandemic has a medical aspect as well as a psychological effect. Psychologically it effects on the individual as well as at the societal level. It results in medical mistrust, stigmatization, and conspiracies. Medical distrust refers to the lack of trust in medical and health care facilities which is created in the first place because of conspiracy theories i.e. anti-vaccination especially in the case of measles and polio. Stigmatization and xenophobia are another psychological cause of pandemics; in the past it happened in the case of Ebola and HIV. At the moment, the Asians especially Chinese are suffering from it. Stigmatization is a result of limited information, hasty assessment, and defensive response.
According to Kin-Wing Cheng “though studies on the psychological effects of quarantine are limited, research shows that patients in medical isolation can experience increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as feelings of fear, abandonment, loneliness, and stigmatization”. Another aspect can be panic and anxiety as a result of media coverage and politics, which can result in delusions. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can either be sensitive to panic or contamination obsessed. Sensitivity to panic can lead to functional impairment in extreme cases whereas contamination obsession can cause many skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and inhalational injuries. To deal with these psychological issues resulting from the pandemic, people need the help of psychiatrists, psycho-dermatologist and primary care.
WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use has divided the population into target groups and gives support for mental and psychological well-being during the corona pandemic. The targets groups are as follows:
- General population
- Health Care workers
- Owners/Managers in the health facility
- Care providers for kids
- Adults, care providers and people with underlying health conditions
- People in isolation
According to Susan Bartell, people in general and the patients in particular should follow the following suggestions to help them psychologically:
- Know that this will end
- Make social distancing and self-quarantining manageable
- Resist the urge to treat this time as a vacation
- Create a schedule for yourself and your children each day
- Your family’s schedule should include physical activity
- Limit your family’s exposure to news
- Use technology for social interaction
- Rely on official health recommendations to make a difficult decision
- Acknowledge painful changes related to social distancing
- Know anxiety or depression could get worse
One of the biggest psychological issues concerning Covid19 is loneliness, patients and people, feel in isolation and quarantine respectively. In the same vein, David Cates introduced a new and innovative way to sort out the issue. People find themselves lonely and helpless because they are home with no work and they are also facing a low level of sensory stimulation, limited social support, and no access to outdoor exercise, spiritual and religious practices. As a result, anxiety level and stress increases and they have a strong feeling of losing control. To cope with the above issues Dr. Cates has introduced a “virtual town hall” where meetings are held to educate people about isolation and quarantine and to provide social support to them. These meetings are attended by patients, guests, medical staff, behavioral health, and case management team to empower each other.
University of Sheffield and Ulster University is researching the psychological and social impact of the Coronavirus. For this research they are surveying 2000 people, to understand the change in their behavior and attitude as a result of isolation and quarantine. The research team thinks there is a rise in depression, anxiety, and paranoia because of the pandemic and ask them related questions to conclude.
One of the leadership trainers- Wali Zahid, the CEO of SkillCity, is an international consultant, speaker, leadership trainer and executive coach – discussed the “psychological impact of lockdown and homeworking”. As it is a very important topic, yet to be discussed in Pakistan while medical and economic problems have already been under discussion. Psychological impacts are more critical to be talked about. The extroverts would be more prone to be affected by this quarantine. An extrovert is a person who is energized by being around other people, by meetings and interactions. All social activities get limited due to lock-down or social distancing for extroverts, the idea of being without regular contact with people is stressful. On the contrary, people with more introverted personalities tend to enjoy solitude, so they may have an easier time coping with reduced or limited social interactions. Even introverts need social contact, so finding ways to connect with others in some way is still essential. So, in such an unpredictable situation even for introverts, at their satiation point, it would be difficult to keep social distancing. They also need some level of social interaction to thrive. Because prolonging quarantine beyond the recommended time may cause greater detriments to mental well-being and cause them fatigued.
Another major impact might be seen on the husband and wife, children and parents due to prolonged face timings at home which creates new anxieties, tensions, and stress. Additionally, the freelancers, daily wage earners, and jobless people will also be badly affected by mental stress and anxiety. If someone is working from home, this can be a challenge, as they are not as equipped as their offices, no availability of un-interrupted net, background voices (they are at home with other family members, including children) and less- controlled environment. Left without the structure of a normal office day, might create more difficulty and stress for strong timing people though. Now, the question arises, what are the solutions for being home quarantined because social distancing is inevitable in this pandemic.
I think we have to create opportunities at home. We should keep regular patterns of sleep, keep exercising and take proper diet.
The author, Shanza Hameed is a Management Graduate and regularly writes on special education and psychology, while Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Khan is a certified Recruitment Analyst and certified trainer for ROI Methodology, HR Analytics and Metrics. Presently, he heads the Business Studies Department at Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad.
References
- Kin-Wing Cheng, S., et al., The British Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 184, No. 4, 2004; Catalano, G., et al., Southern Medical Journal, Vol. 96, No. 2, 2003.
- Moukaddam, N., and Shah, A., Psychiatrists Beware! The Impact of COVID-19 and Pandemics on Mental Health. Psychiatric Time, Vol 37, No. 3, 2020.
- Russel, E. Coronavirus: Mental health researchers promise results ‘in days’, BBC News, 2020.
